Happy New Year!!!

Holiday Greeting from WATC girls...

We, Kristin, Heather and Cortenay, would like to wish ALL of our friends, families, and vendors the HAPPIEST of HOLIDAYS this year. We hope that you've each had some time to slow down and remember the real reason for the season and that you have had some quality time to spend with your own families and friends.

We are excited about the new 2009 year, and are completely grateful for what we've been blessed with in 2008.

Holiday hugs to all of you!!

~ the WATC girls

Bridal Trivia: Who first introduced the white wedding gown?

Why do brides wear white wedding gowns and where did this concept originate?

On February 10th, 1840, Queen Victoria debuted the first traditional white wedding gown. Queen Victoria recognized how special it could be to wear a pure white wedding gown.  The idea of a pure white wedding gown informs the spectator that the dress has never been worn before and does not have a very long life.  Before Queen Victoria, brides simply wore their best dresses.  Queen Victoria also donned a train that was so incredibly long that it took 12 train-bearers to guide her down the aisle.

We do not know whether or not Queen Victoria had a sweet tooth.  However, we do know that she had several cakes on her wedding day.  One of the cakes is said to have measured three yards around and weighed more than 300 lbs.  Boxes of cake were given to guests or sent to them as souvenirs.  Two boxes containing pieces of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s wedding cakes are currently included in the exhibition with the Royal Collection.

Queen Victoria's wedding was the first royal wedding that took place after the advent of photography.  This monumental advancement in bridal wear gave brides all over the world something new to emulate with the white wedding gown, train, and lace.

Gobble Gobble!

Weddings and the City would like to take a moment to THANK all of our amazing vendors, current clients, past clients, and industry friends. We feel very blessed and hope each and every one of you have an AMAZING Thanksgiving, surrounded by those you love.

CONGRATS Brooke & Chris on landing the Winter 2009 Carolina Bride COVER!

Be sure to check out newsstands in January!

I DO! Ellen and Tom

Here's a sneak peek from Ellen and Tom's beautiful day...more photos to come!

 photo contributions thanks to our friend Richard Israel 

WATC new find!

We always try to help stretch a dollar for our clients just as far as we possibly can. I've recently run across this site which offers fabulous hair accessories and veils that are VERY affordable.

  www.lovethebride.com

Many of the clips and veils are $20-$60 which is AMAZING! If you've begun to shop around and price out you understand that this is super economical. To make things even better, they allow you to RETURN items! I have a bride that ordered 2 veils and 2 clips and was able to return one of each pretty easily! Check it out and let us know what you think!

It's finally here!!

We would like to wish ALL OUR BEST to ELLEN TAYLOR and TOM HAIN who wed TOMORROW!!!  We've planned basically this entire masterpiece of a wedding in a month's time.  Its chic - eco friendly - moss inspired theme will definitely WOW the 200+ guests.  The Mint Museum is the self contained venue and we have ALL of our knockout vendors preparing the final touches now.

Cheers to Ellen and Tom!! We can't WAIT to share the pictures with everyone!

"I Do" The Ridbergs!

Congratulations to Brooke and Chris Ridberg! We were absolutely thrilled when they brought us (Weddings and the City) in to firm up all of the details for their once in a lifetime weekend. Their team of exceptional vendors made our job that much more enjoyable.

Brooke and Chris were both able to relax and truly enjoy their day! Brooke was stunning in her gown on her wedding day, much as she was during her bridal photos in NYC! Beautiful!! See earlier posts to view pictures.

My favorite moment? When Brooke appeared ready to walk down the aisle, I watched as Chris literally lost his breath when he saw his beautiful bride-to-be. The perfect moment! Their day could not have been more perfect....sunny and 75 on The Terrace at the Mint Museum of Craft & Design. Miss you Brooke!

Thanks to the outstanding vendors! Mint Museum of Craft & Design, Reverend Rebecca Nagy, Daniel Entertainment for the harpist (Lorraine Carey) and DJ (Chuck), Tizzerts, Who's the Fairest make-up, Best Impressions Catering, Marriott City Center, Place for Flowers and Kristin Vining Photography.

Our very own BUTTERCUP!

We LOVE when our clients LOVE us! Ellen & Tom are set to marry in a few short weeks - November 1st. Both Heather and Ellen have bonded so tight that Ellen has dubbed her, "Buttercup!" SO AWESOME!

SO..."Here's to you Buttercup!" Keep up the great relationships!

We can't wait to get you and Tom married, Ellen. Thanks for instilling such trust in us!

MUCH LOVE~
the WATC Girls!

Style Me Pretty!

We are so excited about some recent news! WATC was invited to become a featured vendor on Style Me Pretty. This is an exclusive, invitation only site - so you can imagine how flattered we are as this is a huge honor! You can't ASK to be on the site, you have to BE ASKED.

For those of you who don't know what it is, you HAVE to check it out!

This site is phenomenal and has TONS of fabulous wedding decor ideas. It's new, hot, stylish, swanky....we LOVE LOVE LOVE it!

Let us know what you think!

Brooke Underwood's Bridal Session in NYC!

Brooke Underwood knew how to work the camera for her bridal portrait in NYC with her photographer, Kristin Vining Photography! Brooke had her day as a supermodel with hundreds of shots taken not only by her photographer, but by throngs of New Yorkers and tourists! As you'll see from the pictures below, Brooke truly was glamorous during this once in a lifetime trip to the Big Apple.

One of the top trends in the industry regarding photography is destination photo sessions for bridal portraits as well as engagement pictures. Locations for these sessions typically include either favorite cities or revisiting the site of the proposal.

WATC girls...Networking

Every successful business person knows one of the keys to success is networking! WATC loves to network and attends functions/events/meetings each week to do just that.

Friday we were with VISIT CHARLOTTE at the annual 'Girls' Day Away' golf tournament in Concord. Needless to say, weather wasn't on our side. We were absolutely DRENCHED while trying to golf. The winds were brutal and the rain fell harder and harder.

We made the best of the situation and kept meeting new contacts to make sure our clients get the best and most updated information out there!

Going to the Chapel...Lindsay and Blake

One of our May 2009 clients recently enjoyed their eSession. We began at the Weddings and the City studio with hair and make up by The Look, then traveled to Freedom Park. Lindsay and Blake brought their sweet dog, Millie, who was so much fun!

Blake was a trooper through all the wardrobe and location changes. Lindsay surprised us with her natural ability to shine in front of the camera.

WATC really encourages clients to partake in an eSession with their photographer as it allows an opportunity to build a more personal relationship with the person who you'll be spending a lot of time with on your wedding day.

Images courtesy of Kristin Vining Photography.

Going to the Chapel...

Elle and Todd are getting married next May - and we CANNOT wait!!! They recently traveled to NYC, with Kristin Vining Photography, to shoot their HOT engagement pictures...that we plan on incorporating into their Save the Date card! SO FUN!

Below is a snippet. Be sure to check out full slideshow on KVP's Blog !

"I Do" The Rimanys!

Do we have any Simpsons fans out there?!?
Well we definitely found some at our last wedding. I WISH I could post sound clips here! Ok, we all know the opening song to 'the Simpsons'......well how about our couple hired a friend to dub over the opening, where instead of saying 'the Simpsons', you heard, 'the Rimany's'.....it was HILARIOUS!!! The guests loved it.
Jamie and Josh were amazing. Two very strong willed people who truly love each other. When they first met, they couldn't STAND each other....but there's a thin line between love and hate, right??
Josh, our handsome groom, is a corageous cancer survivor (hence the Armstrong ice sculpture, which was a surprise by his bride). We are so proud of you Josh!
Jamie was a sweet girl who was quite the STUNNING MINX when she opened up to us!! We fell in love with her personality so much, she recently joined us for a girls' night out!
Enjoy these pics as they just scratch the surface of illustrating the AMAZING day on July 19th.
ALSO !!!
Josh and Jamie recently opened DILWORTH DRUG off of East Blvd.... PLEASE consider supporting your local community and using them for your pharmacy of choice!
Vendors: Kristin Vining Photography, the LOOK hair and makeup, Founders Hall, By Design, Cheesecake Etc, Ice Sensations, Elizabeth House, Sonoma Catering, St. Peters Episcopal

Economic Bruising...

Ouch....
First it's fighting the gas prices and trying to organize car pooling to avoid driving.......now the economic 'cloud' has been felt in the wedding industry. Many of our brides are contemplating delaying their wedding because of financial uncertainty. Should they go with the Spring 2009 wedding which is their first choice, or should they opt for late Fall 2009 in order to save more?? Do they select the Prada shoe......or do they order online through a discounter? The parents that promised to pay for the daughter's wedding in full, are suddenly faced with the harsh reality that dad lost his job a couple months ago and can't fulfill his promise.
It's SUCH a tough call. A recent wedding of ours expected 175 guests (as they invited around 250) and were a little bummed that the reception showed 116. Many of the guests were quite apologetic but knew they couldn't pay thousands for flights, and the common economical 'drive' wasn't quite so economical any longer. It's sad and we at WATC make every effort to work with our couples and give them the AMAZING day for which they have dreamed of......while constantly trying to stick to the suggested budget and work every penny for all it's worth.